Merlin Mann | Aug 19 2008 My friends at Six Apart recently asked me to make a list of blogs that I enjoy. I think they’re planning to use it for their new Blogs.com project. Unfortunately, I’m late getting it to them (typical), but if it’s still useful, I’ll post it here in a day or four. As I think about the blogs I’ve returned to over the years – and the increasingly few new ones that really grab my attention – I want to start with, ironically enough, a list. Here’s what I think helps make for a good blog.
Good blogs have a voice. Who wrote this? What is their name? What can I figure out about who they are that they have never overtly told me? What’s their personality like and what do they have to contribute – even when it’s “just” curation. What tics and foibles fascinate make me about this blog and the person who makes it? Most importantly: what obsesses this person?
Good blogs reflect focused obsessions. People start real blogs because they think about something a lot. Maybe even five things. But, their brain so overflows with curiosity about a family of topics that they can’t stop reading and writing about it. They make and consume smart forebrain porn. So: where do this person’s obsessions take them?
Good blogs are the product of “Attention times Interest.” A blog shows me where someone’s attention tends to go. Then, on some level, they encourage me to follow the evolution of their interest through a day or a year. There’s a story here. Ethical “via” links make it easy for me to follow their specific trail of attention, then join them for a walk made out of words.
Good blog posts are made of paragraphs. Blog posts are written, not defecated. They show some level of craft, thinking, and continuity beyond the word count mandated by the Owner of Your Plantation. If a blog has fixed limits on post minimums and maximums? It’s not a blog: it’s a website that hires writers. Which is fine. But, it’s not really a blog.
Good “non-post” blogs have style and curation. Some of the best blogs use unusual formats, employ only photos and video, or utilize the list format to artistic effect. I regret there are not more blogs that see format as the container for creativity – rather than an excuse to write less or link without context more.
Good blogs are weird. Blogs make fart noises and occasionally vex readers with the degree to which the blogger’s obsession will inevitably diverge from the reader’s. If this isn’t happening every few weeks, the blogger is either bored, half-assing, or taking new medication.
Good blogs make you want to start your own blog. At some point, everyone wants to kill the Buddha and make their own obsessions the focus. This is good. It means you care.
Good blogs try. I’ve come to believe that creative life in the first-world comes down to those who try just a little bit harder. Then, there’s the other 98%. They’re still eating the free continental breakfast over at FriendFeed. A good blog is written by a blogger who thinks longer, works harder, and obsesses more. Ultimately, a good blogger tries. That’s why “good” is getting rare.
Good blogs know when to break their own rules. Duh. I made a list, didn’t I? Yes. I did. Big fan.
And, yeah, you should disagree with potentially all of this. It’s because I have an opinion, and so do you. It’s why you probably have a blog. See? The system works. Coming soon: the blogs I read, enjoy, envy, and admire. POSTED IN:
We were thrilled to see The Teaching Palette as a featured blog in the May/June issue of SchoolArts Magazine! If you missed the article, “Building Your Personal Learning Network, Part 2,” by Craig Roland, you can read it here. Like an artist that visits a museum for inspiration, we visit blogs to challenge our teaching and thought process. Put simply, a blog is like a living website; it continually digests and shares information. Considering our forum, we thought it might be appropriate to add to the SchoolArts list of blog resources: There are some amazing art classroom blogscertainly worth exploring out there, so please list yours or any you follow in the comments area below!
Art Education Resource blogs:
The Carrot Revolution Also mentioned in the SchoolArts article and a source of art inspiration.
Blogs are most useful when you are notified that new information has posted; either through RSS feed or via email. Keep up with new postings on The Teaching Palette by clicking here.
Remember…..
To find your blog:
1) Go to the Baker website www.bakerdemschool.org
2) Click on “Directory,” find your name, then click on your blog
3) The authentication (for parents also) is: username: parents, password: Cherishthejourney!
4) Your user name is: “your first initial and last name” (ex: bcrawford), default password: bellebaker (you can change this)
WordPress Blog Help
http://codex.wordpress.org/Introduction_to_Blogging
*
What Makes for a Good Blog?
Merlin Mann | Aug 19 2008 My friends at Six Apart recently asked me to make a list of blogs that I enjoy. I think they’re planning to use it for their new Blogs.com project. Unfortunately, I’m late getting it to them (typical), but if it’s still useful, I’ll post it here in a day or four.As I think about the blogs I’ve returned to over the years – and the increasingly few new ones that really grab my attention – I want to start with, ironically enough, a list. Here’s what I think helps make for a good blog.
- Good blogs have a voice. Who wrote this? What is their name? What can I figure out about who they are that they have never overtly told me? What’s their personality like and what do they have to contribute – even when it’s “just” curation. What tics and foibles fascinate make me about this blog and the person who makes it? Most importantly: what obsesses this person?
- Good blogs reflect focused obsessions. People start real blogs because they think about something a lot. Maybe even five things. But, their brain so overflows with curiosity about a family of topics that they can’t stop reading and writing about it. They make and consume smart forebrain porn. So: where do this person’s obsessions take them?
- Good blogs are the product of “Attention times Interest.” A blog shows me where someone’s attention tends to go. Then, on some level, they encourage me to follow the evolution of their interest through a day or a year. There’s a story here. Ethical “via” links make it easy for me to follow their specific trail of attention, then join them for a walk made out of words.
- Good blog posts are made of paragraphs. Blog posts are written, not defecated. They show some level of craft, thinking, and continuity beyond the word count mandated by the Owner of Your Plantation. If a blog has fixed limits on post minimums and maximums? It’s not a blog: it’s a website that hires writers. Which is fine. But, it’s not really a blog.
- Good “non-post” blogs have style and curation. Some of the best blogs use unusual formats, employ only photos and video, or utilize the list format to artistic effect. I regret there are not more blogs that see format as the container for creativity – rather than an excuse to write less or link without context more.
- Good blogs are weird. Blogs make fart noises and occasionally vex readers with the degree to which the blogger’s obsession will inevitably diverge from the reader’s. If this isn’t happening every few weeks, the blogger is either bored, half-assing, or taking new medication.
- Good blogs make you want to start your own blog. At some point, everyone wants to kill the Buddha and make their own obsessions the focus. This is good. It means you care.
- Good blogs try. I’ve come to believe that creative life in the first-world comes down to those who try just a little bit harder. Then, there’s the other 98%. They’re still eating the free continental breakfast over at FriendFeed. A good blog is written by a blogger who thinks longer, works harder, and obsesses more. Ultimately, a good blogger tries. That’s why “good” is getting rare.
- Good blogs know when to break their own rules. Duh. I made a list, didn’t I? Yes. I did. Big fan.
And, yeah, you should disagree with potentially all of this. It’s because I have an opinion, and so do you. It’s why you probably have a blog. See? The system works.Coming soon: the blogs I read, enjoy, envy, and admire.
POSTED IN:
- Merlin's blog
- 138181 reads
TOPICS: Blogging, Commentary, Creativity, WritingBlogs That Promote Unconventional Discussion
Posted on 06. May, 2009 by Hillary Andrlik + Theresa McGee in All Posts, Art Games, Books, Tech Stuff, Technology and GadgetsLike an artist that visits a museum for inspiration, we visit blogs to challenge our teaching and thought process. Put simply, a blog is like a living website; it continually digests and shares information. Considering our forum, we thought it might be appropriate to add to the SchoolArts list of blog resources:
There are some amazing art classroom blogs certainly worth exploring out there, so please list yours or any you follow in the comments area below!
Art Education Resource blogs:
- The Carrot Revolution Also mentioned in the SchoolArts article and a source of art inspiration.
- The Art Teacher’s Guide to the Internet On the cutting edge of art education academia.
- NAEA Monthly Mentor A guest art educator each month, be sure to look through the archives.
- ArtTechTivity Art and Technology: Joined at the hip.
- LearningIT Great source to integrate technology into creativity and design.
- The Virtual Classroom Inspiring resource for K-12 art education.
- Denver Artsygal Lots of You Tube art method “how to’s”.
Art Inspiring Blogs:- Esty – that place where artists sell their stuff has a “Handmade Blog” too. Great inspiration for art projects.
- Vi.sualize.us Inspiration in Imagery.
- Hongkiat Great for digital media and Photoshop users.
- Museum 2.0 The name says it all.
- WebUrbanist Great alternative art and architecture.
General Education blogs: (because we are all in this education thing together)**- Teaching Challenges General tips on teaching easily integrated into the art room.
- Free Resources from the Net for Special Education Really, this blog applies to everyone!
- Angela Maiers Geared toward literacy and learning, great blog that keeps focus on the child as a learner.
- Langwitches Technology integration, global education, and digital storytelling – the perfect link to art education!
- Backroom Educational Technology Blog Great tech and web 2.0 tools.
- Teachers Love SMART Boards Have an Interactive Whiteboard? Here’s your one-stop resource.
- Edutopia What Works in Public Education; a resource for all things education.
- Brave New World Resources for education.
- Teaching with Technology Great resource for Web2.0
- Free Technology for Teachers This blog really deserves it’s own category -an amazing resource!
Blogs are most useful when you are notified that new information has posted; either through RSS feed or via email. Keep up with new postings on The Teaching Palette by clicking here.